who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,

keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart.

for the Lord disciplines the one He loves
and punishes every son He receives.

Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?

No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for one meal.

to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. (Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them,

to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the Judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect,

Make sure that you do not reject the One who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected Him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven.

Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.

We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle do not have a right to eat.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—with the blood of the everlasting covenant,

equip you with all that is good to do His will, working in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to Him forever and ever. Amen.

Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who are from Italy greet you.

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

but the one who is rich should boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field.

A man who endures trials is blessed, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works—this person will be blessed in what he does.

Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him?

For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker.

Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom.

For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body.

We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it.

Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom’s gentleness.

And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.

Don’t criticize one another, brothers. He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”

So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it.

Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who reaped your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.

Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience.

See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated.

It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Angels desire to look into these things.

But as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct;

And if you address as Father the One who judges impartially based on each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your temporary residence.

who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

For it is contained in Scripture:

Look! I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and honored cornerstone,
and the one who believes in Him
will never be put to shame!

So honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving,

The stone that the builders rejected—
this One has become the cornerstone,

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people for His possession,
so that you may proclaim the praises
of the One who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light.

Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation.

or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good.

when He was reviled,
He did not revile in return;
when He was suffering,
He did not threaten
but entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly.

For in the past, the holy women who put their hope in God also beautified themselves in this way, submitting to their own husbands,

For the one who wants to love life
and to see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit,

because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and His ears are open to their request.
But the face of the Lord is against
those who do what is evil.

And who will harm you if you are deeply committed to what is good?

but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.

However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame.

who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while an ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people—were saved through water.

Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, equip yourselves also with the same resolve—because the one who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin—

They will give an account to the One who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.

For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead, so that, although they might be judged by men in the fleshly realm, they might live by God in the spiritual realm.

For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household, and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?

So those who suffer according to God’s will should, while doing what is good, entrust themselves to a faithful Creator.

Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little.

I have written you this brief letter through Silvanus (I know him to be a faithful brother) to encourage you and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Take your stand in it!

The church in Babylon, also chosen, sends you greetings, as does Mark, my son.

Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Simeon Peter, a slave and an apostle of Jesus Christ:

To those who have obtained a faith of equal privilege with ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.

The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves.

For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but threw them down into Tartarus and delivered them to be kept in chains of darkness until judgment;

and if He reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to ruin, making them an example to those who were going to be ungodly;

especially those who follow the polluting desires of the flesh and despise authority.

Bold, arrogant people! They do not tremble when they blaspheme the glorious ones;

however, angels, who are greater in might and power, do not bring a slanderous charge against them before the Lord.

They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness

For by uttering boastful, empty words, they seduce, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have barely escaped from those who live in error.

The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” yet doesn"t keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

The one who says he remains in Him should walk just as He walked.

The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother is in the darkness until now.

The one who loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he’s going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the One who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have had victory over the evil one.

I have written to you, children,
because you have come to know the Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have come to know
the One who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
because you are strong,
God’s word remains in you,
and you have had victory over the evil one.

And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.

Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Messiah? This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son.

No one who denies the Son can have the Father; he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.

I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

If you know that He is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right has been born of Him.

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And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.

Everyone who commits sin also breaks the law; sin is the breaking of law.

Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him.

Little children, let no one deceive you! The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous.

The one who commits sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works.

Everyone who has been born of God does not sin, because His seed remains in him; he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God.

This is how God’s children—and the Devil’s children—are made evident.

Whoever does not do what is right is not of God, especially the one who does not love his brother.

unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

The one who keeps His commands remains in Him, and He in him. And the way we know that He remains in us is from the Spirit He has given us.

This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now.

You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.